Objective Personality Tests

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Objective personality tests were developed by psychologists to test theories of personality. They are now used extensively in authentic settings such as employment interviews, school psychology, mental health settings, and other clinical settings. Self-report inventories are the most common type of personality tests, and involve asking subjects to rate the degree to which a certain statement reflects their own behavior. An example of a statement on a personality test would be: "I feel comfortable approaching new people at a social gathering." The respondent is asked to utilize a Likert-scale to indicate the degree to which they agree or disagree with the statement (in reference to their own behavior). Other measures of testing personality include peer-report scales, observation, and projective tests (asking subjects to respond to vague or open-ended stimuli such as inkblots, indistinct images).

Significant efforts are made to provide norms for scoring these tests. Researchers develop normed or standardized scores for which to compare each subject's specific responses on a test. A whole field of research is dedicated to responses on psychological tests (Item Response Theory- ...

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Objective Personality Tests are clearly explored and referenced in this guide.